HIST301 Modern Russia and the Soviet Union

Changes in Russian and Soviet politics, economy, culture and society from the revolutions
of 1917 to the present.

The Soviet experiment, which ended in 1991, was the most serious attempt ever made
to build an ideal society. This paper endeavours to offer a coherent interpretation
of Soviet history, explaining what went wrong with the experiment and how it affected
the lives of ordinary men and women. The process of modernisation is highlighted,
as well as the relationship between political change and economic growth. This paper
analyses the history of the Russian people and their society, politics and processes
of economic change from the October Revolution of 1917 up until the 1990s.